Divorce, the loss of a spouse, a career change, or starting over can leave you facing financial decisions you never expected. You do not need all the answers today. You need to know what to ask—and who to ask.
Get 38 questions for your attorney, tax professional, and financial advisor about your home, debts, taxes, income, and the decisions ahead.
Free PDF · 18 pages · 3.8 MB
When life changes, legal, tax, and financial decisions often overlap. The Women in Transition Guide helps you prepare for those conversations. These are a few of the topics—and actual questions—you will find inside.
Know what to ask your attorney about the marital home, shared debts, support, hidden assets, and dividing retirement accounts. Decisions made during the legal process can affect your finances long afterward.
“What debts am I legally responsible for, including any I didn’t know about?”
Find questions about probate, transferring accounts and property, unfamiliar debts, and paperwork deadlines. The guide also explains why you should confirm survivor income rather than assume previous payments will continue.
“How do I transfer titles, accounts, and property into my name?”
Ask your tax professional about filing status, the marital home, support payments, retirement accounts, and withholding. Use the checklist to prepare for the tax questions a transition can bring.
“How will dividing retirement accounts affect my taxes now and in retirement?”
Ask how an advisor is paid, whether there is a minimum account size, and whether they are required to act in your best interest. You deserve plain-language explanations—not pressure to “just trust” someone.
“Are you a fiduciary — are you legally required to act in my best interest?”
What do you need to live on each month? Which income can you count on? What should come first: accessible cash, debt, insurance, or retirement? The guide helps you bring these questions to your advisor, along with questions about Social Security benefits from your own work, an ex-spouse, or a late spouse.
Alongside the 38-question transition checklist, you receive ten income-planning steps and a monthly income-and-expenses worksheet. There are also prompts to review beneficiaries, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and who could help if your needs change.
If your loss is recent: the guide encourages you to start with bills, access to cash, benefit deadlines, and trusted support. Where practical, give yourself time before major, irreversible financial decisions.
You do not have to know financial terminology or arrive with every answer. Print the checklist, mark the questions that matter to you, and use the notes page for follow-ups. Bring it to meetings with professionals who take your questions seriously.
Start with one question. Work through the rest at your own pace.
Get the transition guideThis printable retirement-income worksheet is for anyone planning retirement. Download the standalone worksheet below to list dependable monthly income, essential expenses, and your three most important questions. Use estimates after taxes and deductions. The guide also includes an income worksheet on page 8.
Work at your own pace. Start with the figures you know, mark anything you need to confirm, and bring the worksheet and your questions to a conversation with Keith.
Worksheet PDF · 1 page · Print and complete by hand
Looking for other tools? Visit the resource library or the retirement income estimator.
Yes. It is a free, 18-page PDF from Luparius, compliments of Keith Lamb. Complete the short form with your name and email; phone is optional. After your request is successfully submitted, download the guide on this page. No payment or account is required.
It is for women navigating divorce, the loss of a spouse, a career change, or starting over, including women managing finances independently or planning retirement. It helps you prepare questions for appropriately licensed professionals; it does not replace individualized legal, tax, or financial advice.
The PDF includes Your Financial Transition: Checklist & Guide, with 38 questions for your attorney, CPA or tax professional, and financial advisor. Topics include the marital home, shared debts, retirement accounts, probate, taxes, monthly income, advisor fees, and fiduciary responsibilities. It also includes 10 Steps to a More Confident Retirement, an income-and-expenses worksheet, guidance on trust, a notes page, and disclosures.
Start with access to cash, essential bills, benefit deadlines, and trusted support. Ask Social Security about survivor benefit eligibility and timing. You do not need to make every long-term financial decision at once; seek advice appropriate to your circumstances.
Survivor and retirement benefits are not simply added together. Eligibility and claiming decisions depend on your circumstances.
Medicare does not pay for most non-medical long-term care. Plan separately for help with everyday activities.
Annuities are long-term insurance contracts. Costs, restrictions, and benefits vary; insurer obligations depend on financial strength and claims-paying ability.
These sources provide general education or public records, not an endorsement of Luparius. Luparius is not affiliated with Social Security, Medicare, or the SEC.
Published by Luparius Asset Management & Brokerage in Park City, Utah. Meet Keith Lamb, President and CEO, and ask about current services, fees, and applicable disclosures.
Educational content, not individualized investment, tax, or legal advice. Calculations are hypothetical; investment results and future income are not guaranteed. Dated videos may not reflect current rules or product terms.
Big decisions get easier when you can talk them through.A personal conversation is a good place to begin.
Talk with Keith